RELICS & REMEMBRANCERS. "These we preserve with pious care." IT may be deemed worthy of the subject, to give a special notice of those relics of the olden time, which have come to our knowledge, to wit: Dr. Benjamin Rush had a study-chair presented to him in 1811, made out of the Treaty tree. His letter of thanks for it, as a present from Mrs. Pritchett, I have seen. David Lewis, Esq., presented me with a piece of the mahogany beam of Columbus' house, in which he once dwelt in St. Domingo-of course of the first house constructed by a European in America. I have used parts of it in several snuff boxes of relic wood. An elbow-chair has been made of the elm tree wood, which grew in the State-house yard. It was made in 1824, on the occasion of cutting down those once beautiful trees there, and was presented, by Adam Ramage, to the "Philadelphia Society for promoting Agriculture." Some of the timber of the Alliance frigate has been preserved by me, as a relic of the first navy of the United States. Some of the hair of General Washington, in my possession, is highly and justly prized. "Yea, beg a hair of him for memory, And dying mention it within their wills, A writing-table of William Penn, of curious construction, of mahogany, is now in possession of J. R. Smith, Esq., of Philadelphia. Its general appearance is like a common breakfast table. By lifting up the lid, a regular writing-desk is exposed with drawers and casements, and by the use of elevators, two lids are thrown up, which furnish great convenience for placing books and papers thereon for copying from, or for writing upon. It was the gift to him from John Barron, Esq., once a venerable gentleman, who possessed large claims to lands about Philadelphia, from his progenitors. The girder in the office of the Union canal, in Carpenter's court, is a part of the mainmast of the Constellation frigate, and has several marks of the shot it received. I own a China plate, given to me by James C. Smith, Esq., which is the last of a whole set, which was the first China that ever came direct from China. It came by Captain Green, who sailed from New York, in 1784, and returned in May, 1785. A piece of silver coin, marked the year 733, of the weight of ninety cents, was ploughed up by Mr. John Shallcross, at seven miles from the city, near the York road. A copy of its impression is preserved on page 64 of my MS. Annals, in the Historical Society. The arm-chair of Dr. Benjamin Franklin is in possession of Reuben Haines, Esq., in Germantown. It is of mahogany, and the one which the doctor used as his common sitting chair. An oaken chair of Count Zinzendorf is in possession of C. J. Wistar, Esq., in Germantown. Autograph letters of William Penn, of the year 1677, are in possession of Henry Pemberton, of the Philadelphia bank, being a small folio book of letters from Penn to his religious friends in Holland. Among the letters is a postscript, subscribed by the initials of the celebrated George Fox. A fragment of George Fox's pen, annexed to R. Barclay's, is also with Reuben Haines, Esq. A pewter cistern and ewer, for washing and shaving, once the property of the Penn family, is now in the possession of Thomas J. Wharton, Esq. They contain the initials of William Penn, and the family arms. It would seem as if they had been the property of Admiral Penn, from the motto being different from that of the founder-it reading "Dum Clavium Tenens." This, by-the-by, is as appropriate to William Penn as the governor of a colony, as to the Admiral as the governor (or steersman) of a ship. The tea plate of William Penn I have seen at the widow Smith's farm, near Burlington, which had descended to her husband from James Logan. The teapot was small-not to contain more than one pint was very heavy-in fine preservation-bore the ciphers W. P.-and had a stand to set under it, in which to insert a flame heater to keep it hot or to make it boil. Penn's book-case, formerly in possession of Nathaniel Coleman, of Burlington,-formed of English oak, veneered all over with mahogany, is now in the possession of the Philadelphia Library. Its base is formed of a chest of drawers, and a desk for writing; and above are arrangements for accounts and papers, shut in by panelled doors, having in each a looking-glass. At that desk, I should suppose, he wrote many of those papers and publications since known to the public. It came to Coleman from the Pennsbury mansion. A sketch of it is drawn on page 105 of my MS. Annals, in the Historical Society, and the original feet of it are in my possession. Penn's silver seal, ciphered W. P. is now in the possession of R. L. Pitman, cashier of the Northern Liberty bank,--he procured it of the above named N. Coleman, who had received it in his business as a silversmith. Penn's clock was not long since in the hands of Martin Sommers, near Frankford, who got it from Mr. Peter Harewaggen, an aged person who lived near Pennsbury. The clock was formed of an oaken case, curiously wrought and inlaid with bone. There is another clock of Penn's, said to be such, now in the Warder family of Philadelphia. A silver cup of Benjamin Lay, the hermit, is now in possession of Roberts Vaux, Esq. Penn's chair, which came from Pennsbury, is now in the Pennsylvania Hospital-a present from Mrs. Crozier, through the hands of Mr. Drinker. Another similar chair is in my possession,-" a present from Deborah Logan,"-is so inscribed on its brass plate, with the addition of these appropriate words, to wit: "Fruitful of recollections-sit and muse!" Mrs. Frazier, at Chester, has the chair in which Penn sat at opening the first assembly at that place. Relics of the Treaty tree are numerous. I have myself presented several snuff-boxes formed severally of a plurality of kinds of relic wood, including the Treaty tree, Columbus' house, the Blue Anchor tavern, &c. There is, in my house, a lady's work-stand, of the Treaty tree, ornamented with the walnut tree of the Hall of Independence, and with some of the mahogany beam of Columbus' house, &c. Joseph P. Norris, Esq., has William Penn's silver snuff-box. It is inscribed with the names of successive owners, from Governor Thomas Lloyd, downwards. He has also a watch seal of quartz crystal, set in gold, a present from an Indian king to Isaac Norris, at the treaty of 1710. There are in my house sixteen pictures hanging up in frames of relic wood, preserved as remembrancers, to wit: A list of my framed Relic pictures, (16 in number,) July, 1839. 1. Columbus' landing-of mahogany of his house, corners of pine, of Blue Anchor house. 2. Penn's landing at Philadelphia-of pine of Blue Anchor, with corners of Holly, at Chester landing. 3. Declaration of Independence-of pine of Table of Independence, with corners of walnut tree, once before the Hall. 4. The Hall of Independence of pine of Table of Independence, corners of walnut tree, once before the Hall. 5. Letitia House-of oak of that house, corners of cherry tree of Pennsbury, glass of Letitia house. 6. Old Court house-of oak of its girder. 7. Treaty Tree-of elm, the ends of mulberry of Harris, at Harrisburg, corners of oak of Letitia house. 8. Washington's House-of yellow pine, of his door, and corners of mahogany of his levee door. 9. Slate Roof house-of the oak of Letitia house, the corners of cherry, from Pennsbury, glass of Letitia house. 10. The Draw-bridge and Dock creek-of pine of Blue Anchor inn, corners of oak of bridge on Chestnut street. 11 The Alliance Frigate--of oak of the Alliance, with corners of Cook's ship Endeavour, round the World. 12. The House of Sven Sener-of the buttonwood there, corners of Treaty tree. 13. The Landing of Penn at Chester-of the holly tree there, corners of cherry wood of Pennsbury, and from George Fox's oak, at Flushing. 14. The Dutch City of New York-from the pear tree of Stuyvesant, corners of Fox's oak. 15. Benezet's house and bridge-of the oak of the bridge, corners of Fox's oak, and corner pieces of Dr. Rush's cedar. 16. The Indians at Harrisburg-of the mulberry tree at John Harris', and corners of Treaty tree. All the above are veneers upon frames, so as to show fronts of the relic wood named. Besides those before mentioned as in various hands, there are attached to the pages of my MS. Annals, in the Philadelphia Library, and in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, at the pages severally annexed, the following articles, to wit: PAGE In my Manuscript Annals in the Philadelphia Library . 165. The celebrated Mary Dyer's gown specimen. do.-Penn's bed-quilt-a fragment. do.-Silks-made in Pennsylvania by Susan Wright and Catharine Haines. 166.-Dress silks at the Meschianza. 170.-Silk specimen of 1740, of Dr. Redman's ancestor. do.-Red garden satin, from the Bishop of Worcester, 1720. do.-Black silk velvet of Dr. Franklin's coat. 190.-Six gown patterns of former years, of my family. 198.-Original petition, showing all the signatures of primitive settlers of Chester, in 1704. 199.-Likeness of Penn-best done by Bevan. 206. Likeness of James Pemberton, and costume of Friends. 215.-Paper money of 1789-of the Light house, and of the Walnut street prison, of 1775.-Specimens. 218.-Profile of a city belle of high head-dress, in 1776. do. Specimen of a silk and silver dress of a lady. 230.-A sketch of Friends' meeting, at Centre square. 231.-Pictures of ladies' bonnets and dresses in olden time. 233 to 239, contain pictures of sundry public houses-such as Court house; London Coffee house; Jones' row; Grindstone alley; Slate house; Duche's house; S. Mickle's house; Loxley's house; Benezet's house; Governor Palmer's house; Swedes' church; Shippen's house; Washington's house; Office of secretary of foreign affairs; Friends' almshouse; Wigglesworth's house; Scene at Drawbridge, at city com PAGE mons; Letitia court; Perspective at Philadelphia; Penn's treaty; the Treaty tree; a female figure drawn in colours by Major André; a pictorial invitation card of General Howe, to the Meschianza; R. Morris' great house. Generally rough sketches, made before it was determined to make accurate drawings. 240. The first almanac of Philadelphia, (a sheet) 1687. 246.-An engraved picture of six public buildings. 247 to 252, are specimens of old colonial paper. 264.-First ground plot plans of the city, in 1793-4, by Davis. 273.-Ancient caricature and poetry, "to wash the blackamoor white." Some city gentlemen are drawn. do. A caricature of Friends and the Indians. 277.-Portraits of Bishop Allen and Benjamin Lay. 278. The Association battery. 279.-Dock creek and Drawbridge scene. 280.-Pegg's run, and scenery in skating there.* 282.-Letitia house in the court. do.-Cherry garden house. 283. An ancient house at the north-west corner of Front and Race streets. do. The place called Barbadoes lot, where the Baptists and Presbyterians first held worship, corner of Chestnut and Second streets. 284.-The portrait of an oddity, known universally by the name of "M. O. Mike, H. A. Harry Hanse, Michael Weaders," and called also, "I see thee first," with some remarks on his character. In my Manuscript Annals, in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, are the following, to wit: PAGE 272.-A specimen sheet of modern bank notes. 276.-Specimens of colonial and continental money. 277.-A sheet almanac of Philadelphia, 1687. do. Specimen of the writing of Count Zinzendorf, 1734. 278.-Slips of ancient silk dresses. 279. An original drawing, by Kosciusko, of Miss Pollock. 296.-Picture and description of Fitch's steamboat. 296.-Gray's ferry bridge, and General Washington's passage there. do.-Cape Henlopen Light house, and description. 342.-A slip of silk, home-made, which gained the premium in 1770, and was made into a wedding dress for Mrs. C. Roberts, in 1774. *The picture, as a skating scene, is more to the ideas in my mind, than the one given in this work. There were difficulties in forming the picture of "things before," which the present artist could not overcome. |